


I've Seen The World (Oldsoulshipping)

by majesticdragonair



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black 2 & White 2 | Pokemon Black 2 & White 2 Versions
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Nostalgia, Post-Pokemon Black 2 & White 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-31
Updated: 2018-01-31
Packaged: 2019-03-11 21:22:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13532799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/majesticdragonair/pseuds/majesticdragonair
Summary: The old photos made him conscious of his age, of how much time had passed - and of what an interesting life he'd had.





	I've Seen The World (Oldsoulshipping)

**Author's Note:**

> so i'm doing this thing that when i'm bored (meaning, right now) i use this [random line generator](http://writingexercises.co.uk/firstlinegenerator.php) and just write a short drabble??? so i made this plus other stuff, i hope you enjoy
> 
> title from young and beautiful by my queen lana del ray !!

So Cheren liked to keep things clean. Alder had noticed it when they moved in after his championship position got overthrown by Iris, and how whenever he got home from a day’s work around the town it was always spotless.

He wasn’t surprised to find it the same when he walked in the front door one day. Even though Cheren worked (Alder spent his days volunteering all around the island part of the region he lived in, whilst Cheren spent his days in Aspertia City), the gym leader always got home before him. He was surprised to not see him in the living space, and after prying off his shoes by the door, called out Cheren’s name.

“Up here!” Cheren’s voice called slightly distantly, and when he walked into the hallway, noticed the entrance to the attic was pulled down, and light was coming from.

Alder coughed when he got up there. “Jeez, I haven’t been up here in years. What’re you doing up here?”

Cheren was sitting in the middle of the floor, a book resting in his lap. He smiled and looked up when Alder sat next to him, kissing the elder’s cheek. “It was too hot so school was let out early, and I was bored. Did you know these were up here?” He tilted the book to Alder, and felt his heart pick up slightly when he realised it was a photo album.

The four photos of the page were completely different, the only related thing being all of them had Alder at the same age. The first one was Alder walking next to a Bouffalant with a Larvesta perched on his shoulder, wearing a poncho that was smaller than his current, being shorter and younger in the image. The second photo was him and his mother, the female laughing as she tried to brush his hair, him pouting. He remembers how painful it was for her to brush her hair then, when he would go weeks without doing it himself.

The third photo was him in the dark, stars and the moon being the only light. His Larvesta was trying to light a fire, and Alder was only half in the photo, having taken it himself. The forth photo was him eating ice-cream with his Vanillite, who was pouting at his trainer playfully, his own ice cream untouched.

“You looked so young,” Cheren mused, bumping shoulders with Alder. “I might have to get my photo album out just to get even with you. God, I barely remember wearing my glasses.”

“Some would argue you were cuter with them on.”

“Smooth.”

Alder laughed and flipped the page, and the two commented restlessly as they looked through the photo album. On the last page was only one photo; him standing next to his team of Pokémon and the previous champion, smiling widely as he was announced the new Pokémon champion. Alder sobered up quickly while looking at it, before Cheren bumped him slightly. “Darling?”

“How did it feel?” Cheren asked in response, and Alder smiled.

“It was surreal, I could barely believe it. My Pokémon couldn’t either; it was something we all wanted while we travelled.” Alder absentmindedly rubbed his thumb over the picture. “I was slightly upset when Iris beat me, but I’d been the champion for so many years. I’d seen everything you could while on the job, and I was happy to actually go home.”

Cheren was smiling too, and he hummed gently. “It’s thank to her I got the gym leader position, y’know.”

“Well,” Alder drew his voice out, closing the book and picking up another. “I may’ve talked you up.”

Cheren snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

The flipped through more photo albums before they reached the one that contained the photos from Alder’s childhood, before he got Larvesta. His father was barely in the photos as he took them all, but he was ginger as well, more greys then young Alder had. A lot of the photos consisted of Alder being a hyper active kid, sometimes playing with wild Pokémon or his parent’s Pokémon, but noticeably, never other kids.

Cheren, being the guy he is, noticed this. “Did you not have any friends as a kid?”

Alder shrugged. “I grew up here, and when I was growing up, it mainly consisted of retirees and sometimes their grandchildren. Any friends I had only lasted for the holidays before they left.”

Cheren hummed gently, leaning more into Alder’s side slightly, causing the older to smile. “When I moved here from Kanto, I was terrified of not having any friends. But I guess I should be glad the twins and Bianca lived there too.”

The next pages consisted of photos with Alder and an egg, and Cheren nearly laughed ‘too’ loudly when they found the photo set where Alder had nearly dropped the egg by tripping over a chord, which his mother was luckily enough to catch on tape. They hadn’t gotten any images for when the egg hatched, but there were many of Alder and Larvesta for days after the egg hatched, the two barely being able to part from each other.

“I was barely a teen and I was technically a dad,” Alder mused, looking over the photos. “He screeched and fired String Shots whenever I tried to pull him away, he was so clingy. But I loved him so much, I…”

His words trailed off quietly, and he barely realised it did. He loved talking about his old partner, always ignoring the old pain in favour of gushing over his old best friend to anyone who would listen, and always thinking about his new Pokémon, his best friends, and partners for life. Looking back down at the photo, it noticed how the edges were yellowing and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Man, I’m kinda old, aren’t I?”

Cheren frowned and pried the book away, closing it and forcing the older to look at him. He was still frowning when he spoke, “You know I don’t care, right?”

Alder smiled and nodded, kissing Cheren’s head. “Yes darling I know, you say it too often for me to forget. That doesn’t make it any less true, though.”

They both sat closer together, until Alder finally sighed. “You don’t care if I grow older and get ugly, do you? You wouldn’t leave me for that?”

Cheren hummed. “You could never get ugly, Alder. You’ll always look beautiful to me.” A quick paused. “Besides, the grey hair will match your eyebrows.”

Alder laughed and elbowed the other gently. “Cheeky.”

Cheren leaned up, nowhere near his height, and poked his tongue out.

**Author's Note:**

> this turned alder centric real quick but i still love it. i know it kinda ended suddenly and i'm very sorry for that guyuys


End file.
